WHEREAS, torrential
rains amounting to as much as 13.5 inches fell within the counties
of Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean, beginning
on the morning of August 20, 1997 and continuing through August
21, 1997; and

WHEREAS, conditions
and issues related to the rainfall required that I invoke the emergency
powers vested in the Governor by the Constitution and Statutes of
this State, including, but not limited to, the provisions of the
Laws of 1942, Chapter 251 (N.J.S.A. App. A:9-33 et seq.) and the
Laws of 1979, Chapter 240 (N.J.S.A. 38A:3-6.1) and the Laws of 1963,
Chapter 109 (N.J.S.A. 38A:2-4); and

WHEREAS, I
issued Executive Order No. 73 on August 22, 1997, declaring a State
of Emergency, which Order provided, among other things, that members
of the New Jersey National Guard be ordered to active duty to provide
aid and recovery assistance to those localities where there was
a threat to the public health, safety and welfare and authorized
the employment of any supporting vehicles, equipment, communications
or supplies as were necessary to support the members so ordered;
and

WHEREAS, shelters
were opened to care for residents displaced from their homes, and
the client-residents of flooded healthcare facilities were moved
to safety;

NOW, THEREFORE,
I, CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN, Governor of the State of New Jersey,
by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. The State
of Emergency that prompted the issuance of Executive Order No.
73 having subsided, Executive Order No. 73 is hereby rescinded.

2. Nevertheless,
the State Director of Emergency Management remains authorized
and empowered to utilize all facilities owned, rented, operated
and maintained by the State of New Jersey to house and shelter
persons who may need shelter as a consequence of the emergency.

3. The State
Director of Emergency Management remains authorized to order the
evacuation of all persons from any area where their continued
presence would present a danger to their health, safety or welfare
because of the conditions created by the emergency.

4. The Department
heads of the various agencies of State government who are called
upon to provide assistance in the aftermath of the emergency shall
continue to lend assistance to ensure the protection of the health,
safety and resources of the residents of Atlantic, Burlington,
Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean counties and the State of New Jersey.

5. This
Order shall take effect immediately.

GIVEN,
under my hand and seal
this 14th day of November in the
Year of Our Lord, One Thousand
Nine Hundred and Ninety Seven,
and of the Independence of the United
States the Two Hundred and Twenty-Second.